The Fake Pondicherry Dosa

The other day, in New York, I went to the Dosa Hut. They have a list of fifty items on the menu. All of them are different types of dosa. I ordered quite a few regular dosas and then I saw that one of the items was called 'Pondicherry dosa'. I was so thrilled to see the name 'Pondicherry', since I lived there for twenty years. I immediately ordered a Pondicherry dosa.

Alas, alas! When I ate it, I discovered that it was anything but Pondicherry dosa. The size was larger than the largest, but there was nothing in the filling that you could say resembles a Pondicherry dosa.

The owner comes from Bombay, which is now Mumbai. The cook is from South India, so perhaps he has fooled his boss. So many times I have eaten Pondicherry dosas. I definitely know the difference between a real one and a fake one!

24 November 2003 Singapore